1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display control apparatus for displaying multiple images.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the increase in capacity of recording media for recording images has led to users taking a great number of pictures with digital cameras and saving a great number of images. Further, the performance of image pickup devices has improved, and digital cameras have come to be able to record images of a size (number of recorded pixels) so great that the image cannot fit onto a display apparatus.
On the other hand, digital cameras have various functions to handle different user needs, such as the user optionally specifying the image size, or recording in different image sizes at the same time.
As such, user have come to commonly search for a desired image from a great number of images, and print this image, or enlarge and compare images to adjust brightness, contrast, and so forth.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-274417 describes an arrangement wherein, in the event of comparing images of which the size that is permissible for display has been exceeded, a part of the image can be displayed in an enlarged manner in accordance with user operations. At the time of switching between displayed images in the enlarged state, the coordinates of the range to be displayed of the entire image are fixed, so that the corresponding position can be displayed.
Also, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-60387 describes an arrangement wherein, with an image processing apparatus which displays an image in an enlarged manner, if one image is being viewed in an enlarged manner, the next image can be displayed in an enlarged manner with the enlargement position and the enlargement scale maintained. In the event of forwarding through images of different sizes, the enlargement position is calculated from the percentage of the entire image, and images can be forwarded through with relative position and scale as to the entire image being maintained.
However, with the arrangement described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-274417, in cases of displaying images of different size in an enlarged state, portions which are relatively different are displayed, making comparison difficult. Also, in cases of switching to an image of a different size, switching between landscape and portrait orientations, and so forth, the display range may extend outside of the entire image.
Also, with the display method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-60387 , the enlargement scale to be held at the time of forwarding through images is a relative enlargement scale. Accordingly, with this arrangement, a user cannot forward through images of different sizes and comparing corresponding ranges, with the display scale which is the ratio between the number of recorded pixels of the image and the number of pixels on the display apparatus used for displaying the entire image fixed.
That is to say, with the related art, a user has not been able to switch images with a fixed display scale which is the ratio between the number of recorded pixels of the image and the number of pixels on the display apparatus used for displaying the entire image, and display corresponding ranges of the images before switching and after switching, without the display range extending outside of the image.